First and foremost, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! We hope you mighty Midtowners have a fun and safe holiday this year! If you do dress up as a comic book character, tell us in the comments! Secondly, what better way is there to celebrate than reflecting on some of the scariest and creepiest comics around? So, we’ve thought about the countless scary comics that have been published over the years, and we have quite a few to recommend! Obviously, not every single horror/spooky comic will be on the list below, so if there’s one you really like that isn’t here, promote it in the comments! Also, don’t forget to stop by any of our three stores on Halloween for Comic Fest – there are free comics!

Last night was a very lucky night for the 30 fans in attendance at Midtown Comics’ special invite only Q&A with Brian Michael Bendis. Not only were these 30 winners chosen at random from over 300 entries, but they walked away with exclusive signed variants, pre-orders of the highly anticipated The United States of Murder Inc., and great stories from an intimate evening with Bendis (we’ll get to those stories in a minute).

Let’s talk crossover comics. Today, creators are coming from every environment you can imagine for a chance to write stories, and make their way into the beautiful medium we know as comics. There are comedians, musicians, and actors galore putting out books they’ve probably been dreaming up since they were kids, and we’re all benefiting. One of my picks this week is Evil Empire #1 by Max Bemis, frontman for the band Say Anything, a band I grew up listening to. Last year, his book Polarity released by Boom! Studios was an underdog hit and sold out everywhere. Today, you can grab the first issue of his new series for Boom!, Evil Empire.

DIY and Indie spreads across most mediums today, with more independent films and music being made than ever before. My vegan friends can rejoice in Liberator – a title by Matt Miner, that told the story of vigilantes looking out for animals who can’t speak for themselves. Now, Matt brings us an interesting new crossover, Liberator Earth Crisis Salvation of Innocents (issue #1, released March 12, will be available to order via the Midtown Comics New Releases page today!) being released in tandem with a new concept album from metalcore legends Earth Crisis, titled Salvation of Innocents, telling a different side of the same character’s story. Other musicians like Gerard Way (of My Chemical Romance fame), for example, have found a strong following in the indie comics scene, and I don’t see them going anywhere soon!

Comedians have also erupted as new talent for sequential storytelling, with Brian Posehn’s Deadpool and Taran Killam’s Illegitimates being so successful, other comedians will surely follow. One of my current favorites, The Thrilling Adventure Hour, collects original stories drawn from the popular Thrilling Adventure Hour podcast, and Paul F. Tompkins’ mustache has never looked more wonderful than it is depicted in this hilarious book.

With creators from all mediums joining forces to make comics, we can only hope that our community grows larger and stronger, and that we can all support original thoughts, art, and movements that leave us better people in the end.

As always, find my picks for the week of March 5 under the break! They won’t disappoint!

Hi dudes and ladies! Back again. If you read my last post (you should’ve), you’ll know that comic conventions are a huge part of staying up to date on our favorite subject. Every year, NYC is paraded by cosplayers and badge-touting fans marching toward the west most end of Manhattan for that magical event we all look forward to year-round, NYCC. In recent years, New York’s own Comic Con has grown significantly. Attendance has skyrocketed, and the show floor has evolved into a pop culture super dome, hosting booths and panels devoted solely to video games, television, movies, anime, and manga, etc. Hardcore comic fans love sifting through, and find solace in the sunlit aisles of artist alley, the show’s most positively reviewed feature since its revamping in 2012. For those who want more of that up-close mingling with their favorite creators, comes ReedPOP’s very first Special Edition: NYC.

So what is Special Edition: NYC? The inaugural event, taking place June 14-15 at the Javits Center North in NYC, will host an overall Artist Alley type feeling, bringing die-hard comic fans close to the creators they love, and offer a limited number of purely comic book focused panels. It is not meant to be a mini-NYCC, and will really seek to please those who have been yearning for solely comic book based cons to make a comeback. ReedPOP Global Vice President, Lance Fensterman says that the show will focus on and serve that core comic fan and community. “We’re trying to keep it really pure to comics, with a little bit of kind of an indie bent to it”, says Fensterman. So far, 20 creators have been listed on Special Edition: NYC’s website as attending (including but not limited to some of my favorites, like Alex Maleev, Rafael Albuquerque, Ryan Browne, Mike Norton) and tickets go on sale Wednesday, February 26 (today!) at 12PM EST over at specialeditionnyc.com – get your tickets now, you won’t want to miss it!

Now that we’ve discussed what I’ll be doing the weekend of June 14, hit the jump to move on to my favorite books this week!

Live from the Phantom Zone, it’s Dimitrios and Thor! This week writer Richard Starkings talks to us about his new series ELEPHANTMEN: MAN AND ELEPHANTMAN from Image Comics and his history as one of comics’ greatest lettering talents!